Facility overview

The dimensions of the field are 325 feet (99 m) down the right and left-field lines and 390 feet (120 m) to dead center, matching those of Sarge Frye Field, the previous home stadium of the Gamecocks. The baseball training facilities at the stadium include four indoor batting tunnels, a 3,900-square-foot (360 m2) weight room, team clubhouse, coaches offices, and a sports medicine room. Among the numerous amenities for fans, there are five luxury suites and two club-level seating areas with lounges, a Gamecock store just inside the main entrance in the outfield plaza, along with a picnic terrace that accommodates around 120 people down the left-field line. The scoreboard towers 86 feet (26 m) over the left field wall and features a 28-by-16 foot video screen.

The main stadium entrance, to Founders Park, is located at the northeast corner of the grounds directly behind the centerfield wall. Following the 2010 national championship, USC had a mural applied to the back-side of its centerfield wall, (to be viewed as visitors and fans enter onto stadium grounds), the mural celebrated the 2010 CWS Title. In addition a showcase was built at the base of the wall for the display of the 2010 CWS National Championship Trophy. The mural and trophy case have since been updated to honor both the 2010 CWS Championship Team and the 2011 College World Series Championship Team.

In 2013, the website Stadium Journey ranked Carolina Stadium as the second best Division I baseball venue, and received an average rating 4.6 of 5 stars in 7 categories. [1]

In 2014, the website Stadium Journey ranked Carolina Stadium as the best Division I baseball venue, and received an average rating 4.7 of 5 stars in 7 categories. [2]

In 2015, the facility name was officially changed from Carolina Stadium to Founders Park, becoming only the third college baseball stadium in the United States to earn a corporate sponsorship. [3][4]

History

The stadium was opened on February 21, 2009, with a 13-0 South Carolina victory over Duquesne with 8,153 fans in attendance, a record crowd for a Gamecock home game. The ceremonial first pitches were thrown by USC President, Dr. Harris Pastides, and former Gamecock baseball coaches Bobby Richardson and June Raines. Darius Rucker, former lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish and USC alumnus, sang the National Anthem.

On May 21, 2010, a stadium record crowd of 8,242 attended a game against Florida, the record has been equalled many times since. The highest attendance for a three-game weekend series (24,726) was set from April 15–17, 2011, as the Gamecocks hosted #1 Vanderbilt and won the series two games to one. In 2013, the Gamecocks ranked 5th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 7,445 per game.[5]